my blurry & sparkly ring

my 'best attempts' at photographing my e-ring - wow, much more difficult than i could've imagined!

loving my local IGA

gawd, what a shocking afternoon was had in this house... cleo cried and cried and screamed and cried... very stressful! i was *this* close to tears myself... she is normally so happy & placid & peaceful... but today, none of the above!

max wondered whether an 'off' switch on babies would be a good idea? i couldn't help but agree that yes, a great idea!

once aaron came home, i ducked out to the shops, ALONE, and enjoyed a leisurely stroll through the aisles of my local IGA... gosh it was GREAT! no crying! no screaming! ... and if there was any of that going on in the store, none of it was of concern to me!

so, of course, with all of that crying and not enough sleeping... cleo is now undertaking her longest 'nap' ever. she is onto her third hour. the baby monitor is cranked up, to help me resist the temptation to check in on her.

n.e.w.s!

i have N.E.W.S!

(and no, i'm not pregnant!)

i am, however............... engaged! wow, that sentence sounds so strange to me / hopefully that buzz will last for a while! after nearly eight years together, creating two beautiful children, making our house a home, travel adventures together and with max, and loudly proclaiming that marriage wasn't for us... aaron proposed, and we.are.now.engaged!

it seems that while marriage wasn't something i'd pined for, i am rather well suited to spontaneous ring shopping! we chose a divine sparkly diamond ring yesterday, with max & cleo in tow. i'll collect the re-sized version of my ring @ the end of the week.

the proposal came from nowhere. after a weekend away - visiting lee & syl in busselton - with the kids, mum and dad, absence obviously made aaron's heart grow fonder :) actually, aaron tells me that he has planning this occasion for a while... just waiting for the right moment.

i am so happy & joyful, i might burst!

now, repeat after me: must not become a bridezilla. must not become a bridezilla...

....

i just overheard max say to cleo, who was calling out for her dummy: squeaky (his & aaron's nickname for her), i'm coming darling, my best friend...

always with a straw

i need a coffee... but of course, not any ol' caffeine will do. why oh why have i developed such dependency on brownes-600ml-percolated-iced-coffee-always-with-a-straw?!

max long ago caught onto my addiction, and will now sometimes 'casually' suggest we go to the shop for 'your iced coffee' oh and a treat for him? cheeky chops!

big bass drum

a band visited max's kindy on thursday.

max's christmas wish-list now includes bag-pipes.

the big bass drum also made an impact on max... he described the drum as 'bigger than my rain boots, but smaller than the house'. that's pretty clear, no?!

underbelly

i'm shattered! lots of gardening in the front yard today, in preparation for the upcoming bulk rubbish collection. max slept over at my parents last night, so no early wake-ups from him today (woot!) and seeing as cleo slept so wonderfully - until 7am! - i was full of energy on waking, and started gardening at 730am!

aaron & i watched 'gomorrah' at the flicks last night - an italian film about the 'underbelly' of naples.... very bleak but good.

funny story: the girl at the ticket counter was VERY insistent that we reconsider our movie selection, saying it was particularly violent and the loud / frequent gunfire might upset cleo. i told her we'd take the chance, and leave if the volume became 'too much'. still, she persevered with talking us out of the movie, and offered us complimentary passes if we should decide to leave the cinema early. by this stage, i was thinking =hmmmm... but clearly, we've been de-sensitized by 'underbelly' as it was fiiiine.

aaron's grandfather (90yo) had what was suspected to be a massive heart attack on thursday; now we know the 'turn' was actually a result of very low blood pressure. pa is in a pretty bad state, not eating nor drinking... very frail and - i think - ready to go. it's hard to watch.

a cheese and turkey sandwich (under the arm)

well 'woo-hoo' for me, i lost another 0.8kg this week! only 0.7kg to go until i reach the top of my healthy BMI range. yay for me (and weight watchers)!

my maternity leave is just about over, but then long service leave will kick in (phew) and with annual leave tacked onto the end, i'm not back at work until... 08 feb 2010... how brilliant is THAT??!!

gosh cleo is gorgeous! she is a really content little thing, and sleeps sooooo well, both day AND night - i feel super lucky! her smiles really do make my heart quake.

and max... my silly boy, max! he told me a LIE today! the lure of ice-cream after lunch was too much for him... so he shoved half a cheese & turkey sandwich under his arm, in a very pathetic attempt at deception (eye roll). when i 'busted' him, he sobbed loudly & begged forgiveness - all very dramatic!

snaps

my beautiful vintage lamp, happy sigh. this picture does not do true justice to its beautiful glow. it really is gorgeous! best $5 i've spent in... ever!



max really does adore his sister, bless. his latest 'thing' is to read to cleo, very very sweet. i must attempt to sneak up unnoticed next time, with the video cam...



cleo playing motor-bikes: vrooom!



max & dad, playing with one of our recent swap-meet finds, the marble run. note max's weird expression? this is mid jaw-jut, mentioned previously.



silly self-portrait award for this month goes to... me!
our power cut out last night, and in my rummaging for a torch in max's room, i found this - - a crocodile head lamp! i happily continued my night-time chores & reading, while aaron loudly bemoaned the absence of the power = gasp! no television!



on the foundation day public holiday, we spent the day in fremantle, hanging out with our 'camping friends' and their gorgeous little ones. here, max & lucy (who is nearly two) were very engaged in an unconventional means of fish-spotting...



max & i at the fishing boat harbour...



cleo, nearly four months <- time flies, eh?!



sleepy cleo...



rugged up / ready for winter!



max introducing cleo to a chick!



feeding time on the farm - aaron & max